Rhoda Griffis Movies
Upon returning to his rural Georgia hometown to attend his father's funeral, a man is disturbed to discover that his childhood friend has been kept locked in the basement by his abusive brother for nearly twenty years. Roy Clemens moved away from Haralson, Georgia many years ago, but when his father dies he must return to his hometown to make funeral arrangements and tend to the family store. Later, while attempting to deliver a package, Roy discovers that his childhood friend Sammy has suffered a most cruel fate over the previous two decades. Sammy's brother Harold is a bitter, drunken tyrant who has forced his blind younger brother into servitude, rarely allowing him any real contact with the outside world. Despite the fact that Harold's girlfriend Kathleen and best friend Earl don't particularly agree with the way that Harold treats Sammy, they continue to remain loyal to the abusive older sibling due in part to the fact that he has cornered the local microbrew market. As Roy does his best to ease Sammy's suffering and provide him with hope for a brighter future, old friend begin to reconnect over promising dreams of a brighter future. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Steve Harris, Gale Harold, (more)
The directing debut of actor Cameron Watson, Our Very Own chronicles the daily hopes and dreams of high schoolers and their parents in a small Tennessee town, circa 1978. Shelbyville is the real-life birthplace not only of Watson, who wrote the script from his own recollections, but also of actress Sondra Locke -- or as the townspeople know her, "our very own Sondra Locke." The events take place in the days leading up to the town's annual horse show, where it is rumored Locke will return as a special guest. Melora (Autumn Reeser) has dreams of following Locke's path to stardom from meager beginnings, and hopes to meet the actress to pick her brain/get discovered. Her best friend, Clancy (Jason Ritter), has enough real-world problems to worry about, between falling in love with Melora and watching his parents (Keith Carradine and Allison Janney) fight over their impending bankruptcy and his father's drinking problem. Their friends Ray (Derek Carter) and Bobbie (Hilarie Burton) just want to get a car to find something to do in Nashville, while musical theater aficionado Glen (Michael McKee) begins wondering if he is coming of age differently than his friends. As the town starts to buzz with the excitement of the festival, the characters must face the decisions that will affect their futures. Cheryl Hines and Beth Grant also appear in supporting performances. Janney was nominated for a 2005 Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Actress. ~ Derek Armstrong, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Allison Janney, Keith Carradine, (more)
- 2004
Less lurid than its title suggests, this made-for-TV movie was based on the true story of the trials and tribulations of three generations of New Orleans prostitutes. Ellen Burstyn stars as Tommie, matriarch of the "working girl" family which operates out of a brothel in an otherwise quiet, respectable neighborhood. Tommie is the domineering boss of her daughter Jeanette (Annabella Sciorra)), who had followed in mom's footsteps (so to speak) because she had no alternative. Conversely, Jeannette's daughter Monica (Dominique Swain) is showing signs of rebellion, hoping to break free from her grandmother's grasp for the sake of her own daughter Navaeh. The family's internal squabbles are played against a backdrop of federal intrigue, as the FBI works overtime to nail Tommie and her family on charges of racketeering and drug trafficking. But just when it looks like the jig is up thanks to the testimony of a local doctor, Tommie saves herself by threatening to reveal a few unsavory secrets about a few highly placed male individuals. The real-life Jeannette Maier acted as the film's technical advisor, insisting in press releases that she and her mother ran a "clean, tight, business" and that the FBI's charges were so much applesauce (it is clear where the filmmakers' sympathies lie in those scenes wherein the Feds are shown wiretapping the ladies' business when they should be concentrating on capturing the terrorist perpetrators of 9/11). The Madam's Family debuted October 31, 2004 on CBS. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Two people dealing with failing relationships unexpectedly cross paths in this romantic drama. Megan (Teri Hatcher) has left New York City and her career in real estate to come to the small southern town of Chester, NC, where she hopes to revive a slowly dying long-distance relationship with her boyfriend, Craig (Daniel Green). Meanwhile, Ray (Rob Treveiler) is a lawyer who, after several years in Los Angeles, has reluctantly come back home to Chester to care for his mother, who does not have long to live. Adding to Ray's woes is his less-than-cordial relationship with his brother James (David Andrews) and sister Betsy (Jacqueline Anderson). One night, Kenny (Gil Johnson), a local man with a long history of bad luck, stumbles out of a bar after a bender brought on by the news that the lottery ticket he purchased happened to be a big winner. Megan swerves to avoid hitting Kenny with her car, only to hit a truck that runs him over. As Kenny's wife and son try to claim the prize after he dies, the tragic accident brings together Megan and Ray, who discover they may have found what their lives have been missing after leaving the big city. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Teri Hatcher
Inspired by actual events, The Price of a Broken Heart tells the tale of a marriage shattered, and a wife who refuses to play the victim. Joe (Timothy Carhart) and Dot (Park Overall) have been married for nineteen years: They've got three sons, a lovely home, and Joe's career is on the upswing. But Joe's office assistant Lynne (Laura Innes) has always wanted a perfect family of her own, and now she's convinced that her dream is finally within reach. With cool calculation, Lynne lures Joe into an extramarital affair that spans a passion-fueled three years. Eventually, Joe breaks down and reveals the affair to Dot. Enraged at the betrayal and determined to strike back at the women who tried to break up her family, Dot sues her husband's mistress for $1 million under an archaic North Carolina law known as "alienation of affection." The law was designed to protect husbands and wives from predatory home wreckers, but can it still be enforced in an era where fifty percent of marriages fail anyway? As the trial gets underway, Dot endures humiliation and the media frenzy in a noble bid to show Lynne just how strong true family ties can be. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Laura Innes, Park Overall, (more)
- 1997
An intelligence officer attempts to prove that despite a lack of hard evidence, a Marine officer is indeed guilty of killing his own wife. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mitzi Kapture, Jasmine Guy, (more)
- 1997
Recovering from a disastrous romance, graduate student Jennifer Cole (Lisa Rinna) is attracted to the brilliant, charismatic and unpredictable aspiring author Adam (Rob Estes), whose manuscript she has been hired to type. Adam's proposed novel concerns a serial killer who has systematically targeted eight women for death--and as the work progresses, Jennifer cannot help but worry that Adam intends to convert fiction into fact! Unable to convince her parents, her professors or even the police that Adam may be a dangerous killer in the making, Jennifer takes matters in her own hands, offering to be Adam's "accomplice" in hopes of preventing a bloodbath. A definite change of pace for its stars (both of whom had also worked together on Melrose Place), the made-for-TV Close to Danger originally aired January 13, 1997 on ABC. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1995
This musical biography chronicles the life of influential country music superstar Dottie West. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michele Lee, Kenny Rogers, (more)
- 1995
Sociopathic Rae Phillips (Kate Vernon) lives only to avenge the past wrong in her life that made her the monster she is today. Stealing the identity of a woman named Kelly Richards, our "heroine" persuades Kelly's wealthy Southern in-laws that she is the genuine article, and is invited to move in with them permanently. What follows is a steady progression of lies, betrayals and suspicious "suicides", the like of which give a whole new meaning to the phrase "blood relative." Filmed on location in North Carolina, the surprisingly sanguine cable movie The Sister-in-Law made its first USA network appearance on July 12, 1995. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kate Vernon, Shanna Reed, (more)
- 1994
Set in the South during the 1950s, this touching youth-oriented drama recounts the tragic events that lead a rich, white widow to befriend a young black child. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Joan Plowright, Carl Lumbly, (more)
- 1994
This fact-based made-for-television drama follows a policewoman's fight for justice after she is raped by colleague. Though there is no denying the offending officer's guilt, he stands protected by an unspoken code of silence by his peers, a code that the woman herself feels obligated to honor. Her attitude changes, however, when she learns that the bad-apple cop has raped a civilian. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lori Loughlin, Martin Sheen, (more)
- 1993
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A brutal murder sends a family into chaos in this made-for-TV drama. Daniel Hannigan (Johnny Galecki) becomes the key suspect in the killing of his foster parents when they're found dead in their home. While his younger brother Chris (Eric Lloyd) claims that he saw Daniel commit the crime, other evidence suggests that his half-brother Brian (Neil Patrick Harris) may actually be the culprit. So what did Chris really see, and who is actually guilty? Sudden Fury: A Family Torn Apart was based on the novel by Leslie Walker; the cast also includes Linda Kelsey and John M. Jackson as Maureen and Joe Hannigan, the ill-fated parents. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Neil Patrick Harris, Gregory Harrison, (more)
- 1993
It is Veronica Hamel's show all the way in the fact-based CBS TV movie The Conviction of Kitty Dodds. Driven to desperation by her abusive policeman husband Charlie (Mark Rolston), Kitty Dodds (Hamel) ends up killing him and is sent to prison for life. Managing to escape from behind bars, Kitty starts life anew in a faraway town, where she marries gentle, warmhearted Chuck Hayes (Kevin Dobson), who knows nothing of her previous life. Ultimately, Kitty's past catches up with her and she is arrested again. Though shocked at the revelation of his wife's history, Chuck labors tirelessly with Kitty and her attorneys to get her sentence reduced on the basis of the terrible treatment afforded her by her deceased first husband. Covering a timespan of 12 years (though the characters don't seem to age very much!), The Conviction of Kitty Dodds originally aired on November 2, 1993. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1993
This powerful fact-based made-for-TV drama follows a poor, illiterate woman as she bravely takes on the government child protective services in hopes that they will return her three children. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1992
When a mother will not tell where her child is because she maintains that her ex-husband abused the girl, the mother is imprisoned in this true story. ~ All Movie Guide
Three rich, pretty people befriend their poor, mousy classmate and live to regret it in this teen-centric thriller. Alicia (Mia Kirshner), Hadley (Meredith Monroe), Julianne (Rachel True), and Sydney (Dominique Swain) are four students enrolled in the same sociology class at Colby University, an exclusive and respected college in the Carolinas. Alicia is a local girl born into modest circumstances who struggles to make ends meet and rarely gets a second look from the male students on campus, while Hadley, Julianne, and Sydney are close friends who all come from wealthy families and seem more concerned with partying than their studies. Alicia and Hadley are paired up to work on their semester project for the class, which is to be centered around the theme "Lead, Follow, or Get Out of the Way." As part of the project, Hadley decides to befriend Alicia, and brings her into her social circle. At first, Alicia seems more than grateful for the attention of her new friends, and blooms under the influence of Hadley, Julianne, and Sydney. But it isn't long before Alicia's personality begins to shift; she develops a powerful appetite for drugs and alcohol, and soon begins taking advantage of her new friendships. Things come to a head when Alicia seduces Sydney's boyfriend, Josh (Oliver Hudson), and soon Alicia ends up in the hospital after OD'ing on drugs. Artie Bonner (Taye Diggs), a local sheriff, begins looking into Alicia's case, convinced that her near-fatal accident with drugs was no accident at all. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mia Kirshner, Meredith Monroe, (more)
In this raunchy comedy, Josh (Breckin Meyer), a student at a college in Ithaca, NY, videotapes his one-night stand with beautiful sorority girl Beth (Amy Smart). A few days later, Josh discovers that one of his friends accidentally mailed the homemade porn tape to his girlfriend, Tiffany (Rachel Blanchard), who is spending some time with her family in Austin, TX. Josh and his friends Barry (Tom Green), Kyle (D.J. Qualls), E.L. (Seann William Scott), and Rubin (Paulo Costanzo) borrow a car and hit the road in a desperate bid to intercept the tape before Tiffany loads it into her VCR; Beth, however, wants Josh for herself and has her own plans to track down Tiffany. Road Trip is the first fiction feature from director Todd Phillips, noted for such edgy documentaries as Hated: G.G. Allin & the Murder Junkies, Screwed, and Frat House. The cast also includes Fred Ward and Andy Dick. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Breckin Meyer, Seann William Scott, (more)
The Rage: Carrie 2 is set in a small town high school, where the members of the football team set the social order. Emulating the "Spur Posse" from Lakewood, California, the boys on the team compete to see who can seduce the most girls, rating them on a point system, and then discarding them as pathetic losers. The story opens with Lisa (Mena Suvari), a victim of this game who responds by jumping off the school to her death. Lisa turns out to be the only friend of Rachel Lang (Emily Bergl). Intelligent but a social outcast, Rachel lives with foster parents; her father is unknown and her mother has been institutionalized. Rachel plans to go after Lisa's victimizer, Eric (Zachery Ty Bryan), but becomes attracted to smart football star Jesse Ryan (Jason London). While this forces the keepers of social order to partially accept her, they secretly plan her downfall. But unknown to them, Rachel's recently arrived hormones have brought on something else -- telekinesis. The one person who recognizes what's happening is guidance counselor Sue Snell (Amy Irving), a lucky survivor of the telekinetic massacre perpetrated by Carrie White (Sissy Spacek) in the original film. Sue wants Rachel to get the help she needs (perhaps as Irving did in her other Brian DePalma film, The Fury) but it's already too late as the stage is set for another showdown at the prom. ~ Ron Wells, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Emily Bergl, Jason London, (more)
In this action thriller, the only things standing in the way of world destruction are two guys in an ice cream truck. On a remote island in the South Pacific, a secret weapons project (code name "Elvis") goes wrong, and a new chemical weapon, safe when frozen but deadly when thawed, is allowed to escape. Eighteen soldiers are killed, leaving behind only the scientist who created the formula and the officer in charge of the project, who is saddled with most of the blame. Ten years later, Tim Mason (Skeet Ulrich) is working at a diner in Montana when an old friend, Dr. Richard Long (David Paymer), is seriously wounded by Maj. Andrew Brynner (Peter Firth). It seems that Dr. Long helped create Elvis and Maj. Brynner was the officer who took the fall for the disaster ten years ago. Near death, Long gives Elvis to Mason and tells him that it has to be kept solidly frozen and delivered to Fort Magruder, 90 miles away. But how to keep it at zero degrees until then? A logical solution presents itself when Arlo (Cuba Gooding Jr.), who drives an ice cream truck, makes a delivery to the diner. Mason drafts Arlo into helping him transport Elvis to safety, and before long Brynner's men are hot on the trail of the icy chemical weapon. First-time director Hugh Johnson learned his craft in part through his work as a cameraman for Ridley Scott: he was the cinematographer for White Squall and G.I. Jane. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Cuba Gooding, Jr., Skeet Ulrich, (more)
- 1997
- R
- Add Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil to QueueAdd Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil to top of Queue
Clint Eastwood directed this adaptation of John Berendt's non-fiction best-seller about a Savannah, Georgia, murder case. When this film was released, Berendt's book had been on best-seller lists for four years. As the film begins, New York journalist John Kelso (John Cusack), alter ego of author Berendt, arrives in Savannah to do a brief Town and Country article on the annual Christmas party given by sophisticated, urbane antique dealer Jim Williams (Kevin Spacey), who restored many mansions in Savannah, including the famed Mercer House where he lives. After the party, Williams kills his rude, violent lover Billy Hanson (Jude Law), explaining it as a necessary act of self-defense. Kelso decides to stay in Savannah to cover the trial, encountering a variety of colorful locals, eccentric and otherwise, including black transvestite nightclub performer Lady Chablis (appearing as herself), financially challenged bon vivant Joe Odom (Paul Hipp), vocalist Mandy Nichols (Alison Eastwood), voodoo priestess Minerva (Irma P. Hall), and Williams's deceptively powerful defense attorney Sonny Seiler (Australian actor Jack Thompson with a very convincing Southern accent). Kelso develops a romantic interest in Mandy while tracking the events that led up to the killing. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kevin Spacey, John Cusack, (more)
The feminist outrage of Thelma & Louise (1991) screenwriter Callie Khouri blended superbly with director Lasse Hallstrom's predilection for stories about idiosyncratic families in this effective comedy-drama. Julia Roberts stars as Grace King Bichon, a prim small-town wife who is incensed when she learns that her husband Eddie Bichon (Dennis Quaid) is having an affair, and that it's not his first dalliance. Grace embarrasses her husband publicly -- then moves in with her wise-mouthed little sister Emma Rae (the scene-stealing Kyra Sedgwick). Grace becomes even angrier when her mother Georgia (Gena Rowlands) and wealthy father, horse breeder Wyly King (Robert Duvall), side with Eddie in the conflict, fearing the small-town gossip that's sure to swirl around their daughter's marital woes. However, when Georgia finds that Wyly has been a long-term philanderer as well, she kicks him out of his palatial home, embroiling the entire King family in a war between the sexes. Something to Talk About went through several title changes, variously being named "Game of Love" and "Grace Under Pressure" before producers settled on the title of the popular Bonnie Raitt song. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Julia Roberts, Dennis Quaid, (more)
What does a biographer do when the truth about his subject is far less pleasant than the legend? That is the moral dilemma at the heart of Cobb, which explores the lives of both baseball's premier hitter, Ty Cobb (Tommy Lee Jones), and the sportswriter assigned to set his story down, Al Stump (Robert Wuhl). Stump arrives at the Tahoe home of the dying Cobb to write the official life story of the first man inducted into the Baseball Hall Of Fame. He finds a drunken, misanthropic, bitter racist who abuses his biographer as well as everyone else. Stump must either candycoat his subject's life or present an accurate picture of a disgusting man who happened to become an American sports hero. The movie's biting focus on Cobb, ferociously performed by Jones, is not matched by its weaker representation of Stump, an imbalance which ultimately weakens the film's overall effect. ~ Don Kaye, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tommy Lee Jones, Robert Wuhl, (more)
Eastern State University isn't particularly notable for anything except its football program. Lately, even that hasn't been doing too well, and the athletic staff led by Coach Winters (James Caan) are under considerable pressure by the administration and alumni to bring in a winning season. To do that, he has to recruit some able, promising young players out of high school. It's not too surprising to learn that he will do almost anything to get these kids, and its even less surprising that, as long as they keep producing on the field, he and the college will overlook almost any obnoxious behavior the boys can perpetrate to the limit of their ability. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- James Caan, Halle Berry, (more)
Jack Black and Michael Cera headline Harold Ramis' Biblical comedy about a pair of misfit hunter-gatherers who embark on a wild journey through the ancient world after being banished from their primitive village. Zed (Black) and Oh (Cera) may lack in the skills that their chieftain is looking for, but they have plans to make it big. Zed has a gut feeling that God has "chosen" him, and so he leads his buddy on a trip through the unknown countryside in search of bigger and better things, bumping into several weird characters along the way -- like a feuding pair of brothers named Cain and Abel (David Cross and Paul Rudd). Unfortunately, their quest for greatness hits a few snags, like being sold into slavery, and later becoming the object of interest to a very amorous, very hairy high priest (Oliver Platt) in the opulent city of Sodom. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jack Black, Michael Cera, (more)
- 2009
- PG13
- Add The Blind Side to Queue
Taken in by a well-to-do family and offered a second chance at life, a homeless teen grows to become the star athlete projected to be the first pick at the NFL draft in this sports-themed comedy drama inspired by author Michael Lewis' best-seller The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game. Michael Oher was living on the streets when he was welcomed into the home of a conservative suburban family, but over time he matured into a talented athlete. As the NFL draft approaches, fans and sports radio personalities alike speculate that Oher will be the hottest pick of the year. Sandra Bullock stars in a film written and directed by John Lee Hancock (The Rookie, The Alamo). ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sandra Bullock, Tim McGraw, (more)
